Tahsinur Rahim, Grade 12
UWC-USA
Traffic is a significant problem in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The traffic in Bangladesh is well known to make every driver go insane. The people who drive in Dhaka are not well known to be the safest drivers or obey traffic rules most of the time. Sure the drivers obey the red and green lights, but anything can happen when it comes to driving. It is all like a Formula 1 track to them. Speeding, overtaking, switching lanes without blinkers, it is all madness. So mad that it cost the lives of two college students.
On 29th July 2018, two students were walking on their way to school when they were killed by a speeding bus, and several other people were also injured in the process. The driver has said to flee the scene but was later arrested. What this resulted in was mass outrage amongst the youth in the country that lasted for about nine days. Thousands of schools, colleges and universities united to protest against the issue of road safety in Bangladesh ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost").
The protests were quite big on a national level and even attracted some international attention on social media. It was about the most pressing issue that Bangladesh has had since it was founded and it finally gained traction thanks to these heroic students. Students would organise sit-ins on the roads to block traffic to show their anger and frustration about the way people are driving on the streets and highways ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). It is a worthy cause to protest, because Bangladesh is one of the worst accident-prone countries in the world according to the World Bank, with more than 4,000 people dying each year ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost").
There was a bit of controversy behind the student protests though. Buses, cars, pickups and other vehicles were vandalised in the streets. Some were even torched! The demonstrators, journalists and photographers were also attacked by alleged pro-government hooligans, who even attempted to attack the U.S. Ambassador’s car ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost"). To add fuel to the flames, the police also deployed tear gases, shot protesters with rubber bullets, drenched them with water cannons and even attempted baton charges at the protestors of Dhaka University ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). Fellow United Nations countries were criticising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government for their handling of the protests ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost").
The protests were such a big deal that students were seen stopping vehicles and checking drivers if they had valid licenses ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). All of this can only be described as a passionate move of heroism, and attention to an issue. By the end of the nine-day protest, the students stopped the show as the government held a meeting to discuss a new act.
The protests have worked out in the end! The government implemented the Road Transport Act, where drivers can spend up to a 500,000 Bangladeshi Taka fine for a fatal road accident, or face up to five years in jail. If the fatal road accident was voluntary, then the driver will face capital punishment (Mamun). All of this is thanks to the many teenage students who went out of their way to show their frustration with the vehicles.
Image Courtesy: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/06/asia/bangladesh-student-protests-intl/index.html
Bibliography
Mamun, Shohel. "Cabinet Approves Road Transport Act". Dhaka Tribune, 2018, https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2018/08/06/road-transport-act-draft-with-5yr-jail-term-gets-cabinet-nod.
"Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost". Firstpost, 2022, https://www.firstpost.com/world/students-end-protests-on-road-safety-in-bangladesh-after-nine-days-education-ministry-to-hold-meet-tomorrow-4913421.html.
On 29th July 2018, two students were walking on their way to school when they were killed by a speeding bus, and several other people were also injured in the process. The driver has said to flee the scene but was later arrested. What this resulted in was mass outrage amongst the youth in the country that lasted for about nine days. Thousands of schools, colleges and universities united to protest against the issue of road safety in Bangladesh ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost").
The protests were quite big on a national level and even attracted some international attention on social media. It was about the most pressing issue that Bangladesh has had since it was founded and it finally gained traction thanks to these heroic students. Students would organise sit-ins on the roads to block traffic to show their anger and frustration about the way people are driving on the streets and highways ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). It is a worthy cause to protest, because Bangladesh is one of the worst accident-prone countries in the world according to the World Bank, with more than 4,000 people dying each year ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost").
There was a bit of controversy behind the student protests though. Buses, cars, pickups and other vehicles were vandalised in the streets. Some were even torched! The demonstrators, journalists and photographers were also attacked by alleged pro-government hooligans, who even attempted to attack the U.S. Ambassador’s car ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost"). To add fuel to the flames, the police also deployed tear gases, shot protesters with rubber bullets, drenched them with water cannons and even attempted baton charges at the protestors of Dhaka University ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). Fellow United Nations countries were criticising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government for their handling of the protests ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost").
The protests were such a big deal that students were seen stopping vehicles and checking drivers if they had valid licenses ("Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News, Firstpost"). All of this can only be described as a passionate move of heroism, and attention to an issue. By the end of the nine-day protest, the students stopped the show as the government held a meeting to discuss a new act.
The protests have worked out in the end! The government implemented the Road Transport Act, where drivers can spend up to a 500,000 Bangladeshi Taka fine for a fatal road accident, or face up to five years in jail. If the fatal road accident was voluntary, then the driver will face capital punishment (Mamun). All of this is thanks to the many teenage students who went out of their way to show their frustration with the vehicles.
Image Courtesy: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/06/asia/bangladesh-student-protests-intl/index.html
Bibliography
Mamun, Shohel. "Cabinet Approves Road Transport Act". Dhaka Tribune, 2018, https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2018/08/06/road-transport-act-draft-with-5yr-jail-term-gets-cabinet-nod.
"Students End Protests On Road Safety In Bangladesh After Nine Days; Education Ministry To Hold Meet Tomorrow-World News , Firstpost". Firstpost, 2022, https://www.firstpost.com/world/students-end-protests-on-road-safety-in-bangladesh-after-nine-days-education-ministry-to-hold-meet-tomorrow-4913421.html.
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